Outlook: Holding Messages in the Outbox

When I perform an email merge in Microsoft Word, the merge process works well and the messages then go to my Outbox. Unfortunately, the system then sends the messages immediately, without giving me a chance to determine whether the messages are addressed correctly. Can I configure Outlook so that it won't send these messages immediately?

The solution is to make sure that you're working from an Outlook profile for which you've configured the Exchange Server service with an offline folders .ost file (or in Outlook 2003, with "cached Exchange mode"). In fact, you might want to set up a new profile just for mail-merge operations. If you're an .ost user, on the General tab of the Microsoft Exchange Server service dialog box, choose Manually control connection state and select the Choose the connection type when starting check box. This configuration will let you choose Work offline when Outlook starts. If you're a cached Exchange user, start Outlook, then choose File, Work Offline to put Outlook in an offline state.

When Outlook is in an offline state, new messages remain in the Outbox until a scheduled or manual send/receive session occurs, giving you time to check the results of a merge before the messages go out. After the merge has finished and the messages have left the Outbox, you can exit Outlook and restart with your usual online profile.